Author: Importer

After years of complaining about the impact of sub-standard shipping belief is growing that the development of a better safety culture may be effective. The drive to remove sub-standard ships is gathering…

Operators have several ways to meet IMO`s latest Solas requirement for venting cargo tanks. Incidents like the rupture of an over-pressurised tank in a VLCC caused IMO to look again at the…

With the world GDP growing at only 2 per cent during 1998, the container ship industry is under constant pressure to reduce costs and improve efficiency. No part of shipping is so…

IMO has approved a draft Assembly resolution including a deadline of 2008 for the complete prohibition of organotins acting as biocides in antifouling. Tributyltin (TBT) is one of the most effective organotin…

Aratere is a flexible rail/vehicle ferry fitted with the first example of a special mooring system developed in New Zealand. Launched on September 8, 1998 at the newly privatised H J Barreras…

The IMF has assured the Danish Ministry of Economic Affairs that money made available to Korea has not been used to subsidise shipbuilding. In March, the IMF`s Nordic-Baltic office was asked if…

PSC in Cyprus has found 28 forged and two genuine certificates it believes have been issued following the presentation of forgeries. Capt Andreas Constantinou, Cyprus` senior surveyor, says suspicion was aroused by…

Class societies BV and LR have been given notified body status to issue the EU`s new type-approval certification on marine equipment. Their status covers the following categories: life-saving appliances; marine pollution prevention;…

Greece`s Minoan Lines has signed a contract with Korean yard Samsung Heavy Industries for two fast 28,000g passenger/car ferries. The cost of each vessel is approximately $75 million, and the contract includes…

Busy times continue at Australian fast ferry builder Austal Ships. The yard has secured an export order for an 86m vehicle/passenger catamaran for bareboat charter to Danish government-owned BornholmsTrafikken. The charter will…